C. Ann Gakumo, Ph.D., R.N.

C. Ann Gakumo, Ph.D., R.N., is an Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing.  Dr. Gakumo earned a Baccalaureate degree in nursing from Tuskegee University.  She received her master’s and doctoral preparation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in 2009 from the university.  She was the 3rd African American to receive a Ph.D. in Nursing at UAB. Dr. Gakumo is developing her career in academic nursing centered on addressing health literacy deficits in disparate populations to improve chronic disease management.  Through her research, she examines peer support and technology-based interventions to promote health literacy and medication adherence in older African Americans living with HIV.  Her teaching explores the social, cultural, and economic disparities and challenges in the healthcare of patients with low health literacy, and effective interventions and programs to address these needs.  She is also interested in B.S.N. to Ph.D. program development to create a more seamless transition into the nurse faculty role. Dr. Gakumo was the recipient of a patient-centered outcomes research award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.